to dampen spirits
3
4.9
- phrasal verb
- Even after a long day, they refused to let anything dampen their spirits.
Examples
-
Nothing, it seemed, could dampen their spirits.
-
The threat of rain hasn't dampened the spirits of this capacity crowd here in Germany.
-
Nothing ever dampens your spirits, does it, Sam?
-
There was a constant threat of rain, but nothing could dampen the protesters' spirits.
Academic text (2011) -
You're not gonna let this dampen your spirits, are you?
-
It should not dampen our spirits, though.
Fiction book (1997) -
Sunset comes early in the valley, so much of our ride home was in fading light, but nothing could dampen our spirits.
Fiction book (1991) -
A bit of drizzle fails to dampen spirits at Taste for Los Al 2012.
Blog text (23) -
She smiled and said, "Don't let this setback dampen your spirits; tomorrow is a new day!"
-
Despite the disappointing news, his good friends were there to support him and not dampen his spirits.
Synonyms
152
3.5
To try to stop something by making people less willing to do it
84
2.3
To make someone feel sad
64
1.4
To make someone feel tired or not interested by being dull when you speak
41
4.4
Make something less strong or noticeable, for example sound and feeling
39
4.2
To make someone feel sad or discouraged
36
7.2
To make people feel afraid or less enthusiastic
28
4.1
To make someone feel sad and lose hope
16
4.9
Make someone feel sad or worried
15
4.1
To make someone feel sad or less hopeful
13
5.8
Make something less fun or exciting
11
5.7
Reduce the strength of feelings or public anger
11
6.1
To make someone lose confidence or hope
6
5.5
To make a feeling, sound, or pain less strong
5
6.2
To end a pleasant situation suddenly by saying or doing something awkward that makes people feel bad
5
4.8
To make a sound or feeling less strong
4
7.2
To make someone feel afraid or less confident
4
8.2
Make a meeting or event feel gloomy and sad
2
4.1
Make people feel less happy in a situation
2
5.3
To make someone lose hope or confidence
2
7.4
To say things that make people less excited about a plan
1
6.3
To make someone feel sad or discouraged
1
7.6
To make someone lose hope or confidence
1
9.8
Make someone or something lose energy and stop working well
1
9.0
Make someone feel weak and without energy
1
6.5
To make someone feel sad or less hopeful
1
6.5
To stop someone from feeling excited
1
8.2
Make people feel uneasy, disappointed or uncomfortable
1
7.4
To slowly take away energy and interest from people
Antonyms
How Discouraging
276
4.7
11
6.1
2
5.3
152
3.5
3
4.9
294
1.0
430
2.9
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'to make someone less enthusiastic or cheerful' is directly derivable from combining 'dampen' (to lessen intensity) with 'spirits' (mood/energy): literally to lessen someone's mood. This is a common, compositional verb + object pattern (the plural 'spirits' as 'mood' is a familiar metaphor), so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will very likely understand the MWE.
Etymology
Dampen spirits comes from a simple image: dampen means to make something a little wet and spirits means people's mood. So, just as wetting a bright cloth can make it dull, to dampen spirits means to make people feel 'less enthusiastic' or 'less cheerful'.